The New Orleans Collection

The soul of the French Quarter thrives in New Orleans, a lavishly bejeweled baroque luminaire. An opulent display of crystal, complimented by a hand-cut crystal column and ornate framework, makes this chandelier a sight to behold.
New Orleans is available in a wide array of finishes and can be trimmed with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Crystal, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Silver Shade, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Golden Shadow, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Golden Teak, and Heritage Handcut crystal.

Schonbek Lighting

In 1870, Adolf Schonbek, an enterprising 24-year-old Bohemian glassmaker, left his family's glassworks to start his own business building crystal chandeliers. He believed that pairing crystal and light to make chandeliers was the most spectacular use of this extravagant material.

For more than 140 years, SCHONBEK has remained the world's leading manufacturer of premium crystal lighting. From classic to contemporary, every luminaire is an authentic, handcrafted masterpiece, designed and produced in-house at SCHONBEK's state-of-the-art U.S. manufacturing facility. This ensures that each product is of the highest heirloom quality and will last for generations.

Guided by a tradition of forward-thinking ingenuity, SCHONBEK's designers have developed and are responsible for nearly 200 patented technologies, shaping the crystal lighting industry. They strive to stay ahead of the trends, incorporating the latest technology into each new design.

In 2007, SCHONBEK became a member of the Swarovski Company, bringing together two world-class brands, each with their own unique identity and heritage. Together, SCHONBEK and Swarovski share a 255 year tradition of creativity, innovation and quality, promising a brilliant future.

Chandeliers can add style and a decorative focal point to almost any room in your home. While chandeliers have traditionally hung in the dining room or foyer, the trend is to use them in other rooms such as the bedroom, living room, bathrooms and even hallways. In picking a chandelier, you'll need to determine whether you need general or task lighting as well as what size your fixture will need to be.

If you need a fixture that provides task lighting for activities such as doing homework, preparing meals or family recreation, a chandelier with the bulbs and shades pointing downward, or a downlight fixture, would be a good choice. If you need a chandelier that provides general lighting appropriate for dining and entertaining, a chandelier with the shades and bulbs pointing upwards (e.g. candelabra or uplight fixtures) would be ideal.

When it comes to sizing your chandelier, there are several factors that you'll need to consider such as location, room size and ceiling height. For a dining room, you'll typically want the diameter of your chandelier to be about 6" narrower than the size of your table on both sides. You'll also want to consider hanging height. In a dining room with an 8' ceiling, the bottom of the fixture should be hung about 30" to 32" above the table top. For higher ceilings, you can add 3" for every foot of addition ceiling height.

While there is not a hard and fast rule for determining the correct fixture size for your foyer, living room, bedroom or powder room, the overall room size is a primary consideration. One rule of thumb is to measure diagonally across the room, convert this measurement from feet to inches, and the resulting number represents the approximate diameter size for your fixture. Another guideline is to measure the length and width of the room, add those figures together, convert from feet to inches and the resulting number equals the approximate diameter size for your chandelier.

If you are installing your chandelier in a room with a high ceiling, it will be important to consider the height of your chandelier as well as the diameter. For example, you will need a much taller chandelier for a two-story foyer than you would need for a 9' living room.

You'll want to hang your chandelier about 84" above the floor to ensure clearance for doors and taller people walking under it. However, if your foyer or living room has a large second story window where it can be viewed from outdoors, you'll want to hang your chandelier so that it's in the center of the window.

About Lead Crystal

For centuries, the crystal has been a symbol of elegance, class and status. Named for the Greek word for ice, "krystallos", crystal lighting possesses an ethereal beauty that has enchanted mankind throughout the ages.

A piece of crystal is like a diamond in that its value depends on the quality of its material and how it is cut. Lead is what sets crystal apart from glass. When added to glass, lead enhances its optical quality giving it superior light reflecting capabilities that highlight facets and make it more brilliant. For glass to be called "crystal", it must contain at least one percent lead in the United States and at least 4 percent in Europe. Full-lead crystal contains between 24 percent and 32 percent lead. The higher the lead content in the glass, the more the lead crystal glass is worth.

The brilliance of a piece of crystal is also affected by how it is cut and polished as well as the shape. Cut glass can be given attractive designs or angles known as facets to increase its light refraction quality. Crystal can be hand-cut, machine-cut or molded. It can be polished using a wood wheel with marble dust, by hand or by machine. And it can be given a wide range of shapes from pendelouques and icicles to baguettes and octagons. And colors range from clear to any color in the rainbow. Just as with a diamond ring, you'll need to find your favorite cut, clarity and color.

Today, you'll find crystal light fixtures appropriate for a myriad of applications as well as styles. From opulent cast brass frames dripping with large pendeloques to simple frames highlighted by a few geometrically shaped crystals. There's an option for every style as well as any budget.

To keep crystal sparkling, it is important to care for it properly. The best way to keep it clean is to add it to your weekly dusting routine. Lightly dust the crystals on your fixture with a feather duster or a soft brush. If it becomes dull and dusty, it may require that you wipe each crystal with a damp chamois. Be sure not to get any moisture on the frame as this may damage the finish. Never put fixture crystals in the dishwasher as it will ruin the metal hanging clips and may damage the crystal itself.

Seamless, Hassle-Free Shopping & Free Delivery

We strive to offer you a wide range of beautiful, high-quality chandeliers at fair prices, but our real product is customer satisfaction. You can be certain that we will do everything we can to make it a good experience for you when you purchase the New Orleans 36" Bronze, Gold or Silver 20-Light Chandelier, item number SB-3661, by Schonbek Lighting.